noun

lemon

lemon, dud, clunker

I need a lemon for the recipe.

I need a lemon for the recipe.

The car he bought was a real lemon.

The car he bought was a real lemon.

((a lemon)) a yellow citrus fruit I need a lemon for the recipe.

((a lemon)) (informal) a thing that is useless or defective The car he bought was a real lemon.

Synonyms: (for faulty item) dud, clunker; Antonyms: N/A

From Old French 'limon', from Arabic 'līmūn', from Persian 'līmūn'.

Imagine a lemon with a sour expression because it's a 'lemon' of a car (a bad car) to link the two meanings.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.